Melanie Dulaney's Reviews > Walkin' the Dog

Chris Lynch, author of YA books such as Freewill, Iceman, and Gypsy Dancer, enters the world of middle grade novels with this story of change. Louis has always been known for lack of engaging with the world around him to such an extent that his mother has dubbed him the “INactivist,” but this summer he finds that about to change. A forced dog sitting gig reveals a camaraderie that exists between Louis and the four-legged (and sometimes even three) and a lucrative dog-walking business begins. That business leads to meeting new people, making a few friends, coming to grips with his mother’s current stint in a rehab facility for her addiction to pain-killers, and discovering that life is better with a pack instead of going it alone. Lynch does an excellent job of conveying Louis’ solitary life and the changes over time as well as creating memorable characters in bossy little sister Faye, overbearing and hostile elder brother Ike, friendly but struggling with a difficult home life Agatha and all-around good guy Cy. The introductory section starts slowly and may lose readers before they are fully immersed in what develops within several storylines, but once the main players are actively engaged in their contributions to Louis’ changes in thinking and behaving, older elementary and middle school students will want to reach the book’s satisfying conclusion. Race is not a real factor in Walkin’ the Dog, but Cy is from a Haitian background. Louis’ family is middle of the road financially and Agatha and Cy’s families struggle to make ends meet. Families represented by dog owners and of the main characters have diverse compositions. There is no violence or sexual content but there is one F-bomb that seemed to be placed there to show how ineffective Louis is in making a good argument even with a strong expletive. (It is my hope that the final edition deletes this word.)

Thanks for the print arc, Simon & Schuster for Young Readers.